Captain Andy Sanger – Head Coach

Captain Andy Sanger MBE (Royal Engineers) has been appointed as the Army Head Coach for the next two seasons. Andy guided the British Army to win the inaugural Defence Rugby World Cup in Auckland New Zealand in 2011 and his new role will include responsibility for the 2015 event in the UK.

He is well suited to the role of Head Coach having played and coached at all Army representative levels in both the Union and League codes.

Andy grew up in the lower reaches of the Welsh valleys in Caerphilly. He first played rugby at Bedwas School and then joined the local town club.

Whilst winning many caps at centre in the Army Union game Andy continued to play with the Bedwas club until he joined London Welsh. During an extended playing career he toured Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the USA and Canada.

He played in the first Army RL match in 1994 at Leigh and has remained a dual coded player throughout his career.

During the early 2000s Andy was heavily involved in military operations. As a bomb disposal specialist he served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer from where he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers.

Andy loves discussing rugby, he considers coaching can be a complex issue and ‘one size does not fit all’. On the park he “looks for mental and physical toughness, a positive attitude and the instinct to attack”. Defence is very close to his thinking.

“Before each season I say to myself ‘We are where we are’. I know I have to look at all new players who aspire to wear the Red’s shirt. Then we have to create a whole team approach that provides all the vital strings essential to a successful squad with coaching, administration and very importantly the medical preparation integrated for what is a very strenuous commitment”.